Pilot Project for Value-Added Product Development from Solid ...

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Vermicomposting Barn and Trenches. Due to project delays the vermicomposting barn was not completed in time to conduct the environmental performance of the vermiculture composting process consistent with the NC Attorney General’s Agreement process (which is consistent with reviews to determine compliance with the environmental performance standards passed for new and expanding farms in 2007). NatureWorks Organics, as part of its cost share commitment, has provided $52,000 to North Carolina State University to complete the evaluation of the technical characteristics of the vermicompost material. Methods used will be comparable to those described for the emissions and technical analysis of the Super soils compost technology. 7 These include measurement of emissions of odor and ammonia, analysis of reduction in pathogens, and a nitrogen, phosphorus, copper and zinc mass balance analysis. Where possible, analyses completed by other entities will be sought out in lieu of redundant analysis to determine whether the products meet organic standards and Class A bio-solids standards. The economic analysis of the cost of vermiculture composting was performed and is reported in the Cost Modeling Report found in Appendix A. This analysis accounts for the cost of construction, with estimated operation and maintenance costs, and projections of the amount of worm casting compost that could be produced at the pilot site and if adopted industry-wide. 7 See http://www.cals.ncsu.edu/waste_mgt/smithfield_projects/phase2report05/phase2report.htm, see Appendices A1, A7, A8, and A9. 8
While the full-scale vermicomposting facility was being designed and built a small-scale experiment was established at North Carolina State University’s Lake Wheeler Road Field Laboratory to collect preliminary data on vermicompost physical and chemical properties and the potential for pathogen reduction in the finished material. During a 12-month period, over 5,200 pounds of separated swine solids were added to a worm bin at a rate of approximately 0.3 pounds per square foot of bed surface area. Approximately 1,560 pounds of castings were collected from the small-scale bed. The recovered castings contained approximately 42% of the nitrogen and 82% of the phosphorus that was present in the waste material originally applied. The vermicomposting of the small-scale bed also provided a 3-log reduction in the number of bacterial indicators for which analysis was conducted, including fecal coliform, E. coli, and enterocci. Because the criteria for the EST determination requires a 4-log reduction 8 , an additional treatment will likely be required to meet the EST requirement as well as the new performance standards. NatureWorks Organics already adds a drying step at its centralized process facility that may provide additional treatment. The potential for additional treatment benefits will be verified during the full-scale evaluation that will occur once worm castings become available for analysis by North Carolina State University. Funding Of the grant funding, $83,700 was used to design and construct the on-farm vermicomposting system. In addition, NatureWorks Organics contributed $190,000 toward the project, including project management costs, the purchase of worms, and $52,000 in funding provided to North Carolina State University for the environmental performance verification of the system. 8 This requirement specifically applies to the terms of the Smithfield Agreement. 9
Page 1 and 2: Pilot Project for Value-Added Produ
Page 3 and 4: Recognizing the need to identify mo
Page 5 and 6: Thermophilic Composting The informa
Page 7: Vermiculture Portions of the inform
Page 11 and 12: To achieve the economic feasibility
Page 13 and 14: Appendix A 13
Page 15 and 16: Table of Contents I. Introduction
Page 17 and 18: The composting process has a thermo
Page 19 and 20: The Super Soils composting facility
Page 21 and 22: without harm. Post-harvest, the cas
Page 23 and 24: take 7,290 feeder-finish head to pr
Page 25 and 26: Tables SA.1. through SA13.: Modelin
Page 27 and 28: Table SA.4. Super Soils Composting
Page 29 and 30: Table SA.9. Predicted Standardized
Page 31 and 32: Table SA.13. Predicted Standardized
Page 33 and 34: References (Arancon, et al.(a)) Ara
Page 35 and 36: Appendix C 75
Page 37 and 38: Equipment installation was complete
Page 39 and 40: Appendix D 79
Page 41: modest profit and the vermicasts ar

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